There Is So Much More
by DCFanatic4life
Summary: AJ never thought she and Dolph would end up like this, on opposite ends of the war. She always thought their story would end differently, but maybe it was always doomed to fail...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or people in this story. The characters belong to WWE, and the real people own themselves.**

* * *

Since the Dolph/AJ break up, I've been contemplating a fic, and so I decided to go ahead and write one based around that. It was hard since I hate the break up so very, very much, but I also like angst (although I like to read it more than write it, hint hint for any writers out there) and this is what happens when I try to write angst.

Anyways, this was written after SmackDown but before Raw, so everything after SmackDown is going to be pretty much ignored as I'm taking it in my own direction. So that's what you need to know, hope you enjoy it, and reviews would be very welcome, let me know if it's actually worth continuing! Be brutal too if you want, I'm not thin-skinned. :)

* * *

It wasn't supposed to end this way.

But then, she thought it would never end.

Naïve? Perhaps, but when something was so good for so long, you let yourself believe that it could always be that good. Sometimes, you let yourself believe that you could actually be loved by someone who you love back. Sometimes, you even think that for once, something isn't going to be one-sided, that your affection will be returned in kind, that your love will not be thrown back in your face. Sometimes, you let your guard down in a way you haven't in such a long time because you so fervently believe that everything good will stay.

It never does.

And when it falls apart, what's left? The bitter disappointment of what could have been. The lingering agony of all you could have done differently, all you _should_ have done differently, that's what you're left with. There's nobody there to catch you either, so there's just an abyss, a dark cavern you stare at face first. You let your arms go because falling is all you do. You fall further and further into the murky darkness because your safety net was not so safe at all.

He never even let her explain.

She should have noticed the change, but it was so subtle at the time. Now, looking back, it was glaring, all of it, just glaring at her, eyes narrowed, arms folded, flashing red signs telling her to beware, and she ignored them all. She should have seen it coming though, but how could she? How could she when he took her on a mini-vacation, how could she when he wanted to wear her shirt in front of God and the world in order to show his support? How could she have seen it? How could she have noticed the glare when she was blinded by the light?

"Dolph, please answer your phone, please?" her voice sounded strange even to her own ears. So many months had passed since she used this voice, this desperate girl voice, pleading and whimpering, and worst of all, sad. Not since Cena started to phase her out had she used this particular voice, and so it didn't even sound like her anymore, not the confident woman she'd become in seven short months. "Please, please, just let me explain. I don't want to do it over the phone, not like this, please, just let me explain."

She thought he would. The Dolph she grew accustomed to would have let her explain. The Dolph she knew wouldn't even ask her to explain because he would have known she only had his best intentions at heart. He would know she saw Del Rio going for his head, he would have felt the fear coursing through her like a shot of adrenaline to her heart. He would have known because he always seemed to know, always seemed to understand what she was about before she could even figure it out.

He wasn't her Dolph anymore. Not like it was before. Was it the concussion? Did the concussion knock something loose in his brain that made him blind to her, that made him suddenly not want her around? She wracked her brain constantly trying to pinpoint the moment when everything changed, but it never came to her, no matter how hard she thought, no matter how many pictures she looked through, shows she watched, tweets she read. She could not find the moment where it all changed, and it frustrated her.

Should she have acted out of pure spite like she did on Monday? No, she shouldn't have, but it was another heartbreak, another loss in a long line of losses. She loved him more than the rest combined. Daniel, Punk, Kane, Cena, they all became figments of her imagination, muddled, fever-like memories, things you conjured up when you were delusional. Her "love" for them had not been real, but with Dolph, it was real, and it was more, and it was devastating to know that he threw it away because she made a mistake…and she didn't even really see it as a mistake. She saw it as her caring more about her boyfriend than some silly power couple title.

He was angry with her, she got that, she understood it, but to not hear her out, to just dump her, leave her in front of everyone, make her the laughingstock of the WWE once again, she went crazy, and Big E, the only one to see her distress, immediately jumped on board to help her. He was a good friend, and she was happy someone was on her side in a time when it felt like nobody was. After it was over, she convinced herself that it could not get worse. That seeing the man she loved beaten by her own hand was the worst it could possibly get.

"I'm sorry I didn't do it a hell of a lot sooner."

"_I'm sorry I didn't do it a hell of a lot sooner."_

"**I'm sorry I didn't do it a hell of a lot sooner."**

The last bit of hope, confidence, everything just kind of broke inside of her. It wasn't like a dam, with every emotion flooding her all at once. It was like what she imagined drowning to be, slow, painful, and with an imminent death you tried so hard to stop by treading water as long as you could, but eventually falling as your limbs became heavy and the water consumed you. She felt consumed and she lashed out because what was there left?

Big E was there, and suddenly, he was in front of her, consuming her vision, and she was confused, and weirded out, and when she thought he might kiss her, he instead kissed her forehead. She stood there, watching as he walked away and she didn't know what that was, what was going on in his head, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. She just knew that her lungs were filling up with despair, and she had no idea what was going on. So she just stood there. She just stood there backstage and stared at an empty future that once seemed so filled.

"No, no, it was a great match!" Dolph slapped Zack on the shoulder. "I mean, I won, didn't I? And without anyone's help, and I was outnumbered because the jackass had his two jackasses with him, and I still won."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, bro, you're the best," Zack rolled his eyes. He looked straight ahead and saw AJ standing there, looking practically catatonic. He stopped and nodded his head forward, making Dolph look over and see AJ standing there.

Her hands were limp at her sides, and her hair was still mussed from her tantrum earlier. Her shirt looked rumpled and her back was hunched over. What struck him most was her lack of movement. She was just standing there, doing nothing, looking at nothing, acting as if the world was stopped around her. He frowned a little bit, and sent Zack off.

"Dude," Zack whispered to him, "look, maybe you shouldn't—"

"No, it's cool, whatevs," Dolph shrugged, "I'll just tell her to, you know, go."

"But—"

"It's fine," Dolph insisted, "I'll catch up with you so we can get out of here in a little bit."

"Okay, sure," Zack said, taking a detour down another hallway as Dolph thought about how to approach AJ, who still hadn't moved. He licked his lips a little bit before he walked over to her, standing next to her, but she barely seemed to notice his presence.

"AJ." She startled, as if waking from a dream and she lifted her head up, turning it to look at him. Her hair fell into her face sloppily, shrouding much of it from him, but he could plainly see the dullness of it all. She was such a vibrant person usually. "What are you doing standing here?"

"When?" she croaked, her voice sullen with emotion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, staring at her.

"When?" she asked a little louder, but with the same tone of emotion.

"When what?"

"When was it?" she asked, standing straighter now, her back arching as she side-eyed him. Her look didn't hold venom, just sadness. She felt sad looking at him, looking at a future she planned out but would never have. That's what she got for making plans. They always fell through. Maybe she just wasn't meant to have plans.

"I don't—"

"You should have broken up with me sooner, when?" she asked, still not fully facing him. "I just want to know the when, Dolph, that's all. Please, just give me the when."

"Look, AJ, we had a lot of fun, it was fun, but it's time to move on, you know," he said quickly, "and it's just…we were moving in different directions, and Sunday was the last straw, you know, I was thinking about it for a while, and it was just the last straw."

"I loved you," she told him, simply, plainly, without histrionics or breaking down, no tears or whimpers, no hissy fits and tantrums. "I gave you everything, I gave you everything that I never gave any of the others."

"I've got to go, AJ," he told her, his voice stern, like she was going to start begging. She wasn't. She'd begged before, and she'd been humiliated then. She wasn't about to put herself through that again. If Dolph wanted nothing to do with her, he would have nothing to do with her. He was headstrong and stubborn, and he would stick with his conviction, the conviction telling him that he did not need her, that he may have never needed her.

"Okay," she responded because what more could she do? There were no words to make him say, no magic.

"Look, if you and E are…well, if you and him are whatever, I mean, you just…that wasn't a thing when we were together, was it?" he asked, sucking at his teeth a little bit. He stared at her this time, capturing her eyes, making it so she couldn't look away even if she tried.

"I don't know what that was," AJ admitted, "it was weird…way weird…I don't…it was not anything I wanted."

"Well, just…be careful," he said lamely, forcing an awkward smile on his face, "like, I mean, you know, whatevs."

He walked away from her then, quickly, not looking back once. She watched him go, looking around to see if anyone was near her, but she was alone again. She had to at least try and talk to him. She started jogging towards him and grabbed him by the arm, surprising him as she stood there, gazing up at him. He opened his mouth, and she had the urge to just launch herself into his arms and kiss him. It worked once, maybe it'd work again, but no, that's not what this was about.

"Can I at least explain to you?" she asked. "You don't have to take me back, I'm not asking for you to take me back, I promise, can I at least just explain what happen? Can we at least talk because I'm so confused, Dolph, please."

"AJ, like I said—"

"I heard what you said, but you never listened to what _I_ had to say. You just…you just dumped me, without letting me talk, without hearing me out, and that was not you. That was never you. When I cost you the Elimination Chamber spot, when it was all my fault, you didn't even get mad at me, and I know this was for the World Title, I know it was, but you would have let me explain. I don't understand why this time was different."

"I just…I can't right now," he told her.

"Then you just dump me," she continued without listening to what he said, "and I know I went kind of crazy, and I'm sorry, I just…I was hurt, and you said those things tonight, and I just…I didn't understand, I don't, and you never let me explain, and…you always let me explain!"

"AJ, get a grip," Dolph held her by the shoulders, leaning down so he could look into her eyes. She used to love it when he did that. It was like he never expected her to look up because he would always make sure to come down. "Everything is just…it's too much, okay, just take care of yourself."

Then he was gone again.

It just wasn't supposed to end like this.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews, reads, and everything else. I'm glad you like the angst, and here's some more of it. Enjoy, leave a review if it pleases you (it would sure please me)! :)

* * *

She stared at him across catering. He was sitting with his friends, his new friends she guessed, Zack, Kofi, and he was laughing, telling jokes probably. He'd always loved to make her laugh, but it wasn't that hard because she thought he was so funny. He used to tell jokes to her all during their traveling together, and they'd spend the whole time laughing. Yet, he said that he should have broken up with her sooner, and she just didn't get it.

She didn't get his sudden change in attitude towards her. Was it really that bad that she tried to protect him? What should she have done, potentially let him get kicked in the head again, sidelined again. It was bad enough the first time. He had a headache all the time, and she sat with him, rubbing his head until he would fall asleep. She listened to him when he voiced his concerns about wrestling again, wondering if he would ever even get the chance. Where did that man go?

She pushed around the rice on her plate, suddenly not hungry anymore, not that she was much to begin with. Everything felt like a labor now. Getting out of bed was a chore, eating was a task, and breathing was an effort. She felt sluggish, like everyone was going at the right speed, and she's somehow slowed down. It didn't feel right anymore, she didn't feel right anymore, and so she went everyday just hoping one day she'd wake up and feel like herself again.

Dolph looked over his shoulder and AJ watched as his eyes scanned the room, finally boring into hers. She was stopped by the blue of his eyes, utterly stopped, and he stared at her for a long moment. His eyes looked…she couldn't quite place how they looked, but they were duller than usual. He had such bright eyes. Sometimes she wished he had his natural hair color because she knew if he did, his eyes would be even more strikingly beautiful.

He blinked a couple times, and she saw him visibly gulp before he turned back to the people at his table. AJ looked back down at her food, seeing how little she ate of it, but really having no appetite to finish it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and was surprised to see it was Layla sitting next to her. She glanced around, expecting a random spear from Kaitlyn, but didn't see her around.

"What do you want?" AJ said gruffly, not in the mood to talk to anyone right now, let alone someone who clearly hated her.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Layla said. AJ narrowed her eyes, studying her like a hawk studied its prey. "This isn't a trap, don't worry. I just…well, SmackDown was a little rough, and I know you don't have many people—"

"I don't need your help, thanks," AJ said, going back to looking at her plate. Maybe if she took three more bites she could just dump the rest. This was what she'd been reduced to, coaxing herself into eating more bites. She really just needed to splurge on some junk food, maybe she'd swing by a McDonald's after the show. A burger sounded nice right about now, and a soda chaser even better.

"I just thought you might need someone to talk to, break-ups are never fun."

"I know," AJ said, "been through a few myself."

"And well, I don't know, I just thought I could listen if you needed to talk."

"So you could bring your information right back to Kaitly so she can use it against me, I don't think so," AJ scoffed, "do you really think I'm that stupid? My life is fine, I am doing fine, so don't even worry about it, don't worry about me."

"You don't look fine," Layla pointed out, twisting her mouth as she said it. "I mean, I think everyone here knows you've been staring at Dolph's back the entire time you've been in here."

"What I want to do with my time is my choice, I don't need anyone pointing it out," AJ wished she would just leave because she didn't want to talk about it. Oh, she _did_ want to talk about it, but not to someone who would probably use it as ammunition. She really didn't have anyone, not even E after whatever it was that happened on SmackDown. She hadn't even talked to him since Friday and she didn't want to.

She had no idea what that scene was last Friday, no idea what even possessed E to even do that. He, better than anyone, knew how much Dolph hurt her. So why would he even so much as try to put the moves on her? She didn't want E, she just wanted…she just wanted Dolph. She hated admitting that to anyone, even herself, but all she wanted, all she needed was the one man who wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

"I know, I know, but seriously, sweetie, you need _someone_, don't you think? Look, I won't tell Kaitlyn anything, but I do want you to know that you aren't alone, that you don't have to be alone, and that if you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen," Layla said. "I'm just putting it out there."

"Okay," AJ said, but was still disinterested. She couldn't trust Layla, she couldn't trust anyone anymore. She thought she could trust Dolph more than anyone, and he'd broken her heart. She thought she could trust E as her best friend, but it seemed he didn't want to be _just_ her friend. So what made Layla think she could be trusted when everyone always let AJ down.

"Just think about it," Layla gave AJ's shoulder a squeeze before leaving her alone again. AJ felt better instantly. She just needed to be alone. Maybe that was her new M.O. She was just the girl who was all alone. She didn't need anyone, maybe that's just how it had to be. She had her title, and that should sustain her. She'd tried her best with Dolph, and she'd failed so why try again.

She decided that one bite was enough and cleaned up her table, throwing away her plate and going back to the women's locker room. She wished she could have her own, but that's not how things worked. She went to her corner, ignoring the chatter of all the other women, joking and being friendly with one another. Nobody wanted to be friendly with her and that was fine.

"Yo, AJ, E is here," Nikki called out, and AJ looked up and over at the door where E was standing, already in his ring gear.

AJ set her title down on the bench next to her before walking over to the door, slipping outside as she faced E for the first time since SmackDown. "What did you need?" she asked, trying not to sound cold, but she did anyways.

"Look, can we talk," he put his hand on her shoulder, and she wanted to shrug it off, but they were still friends, and maybe this was just a friendly gesture. She nodded and he pulled her a little bit away from the door. She looked around, seeing only a few people milling about, and she wrapped her arms around her midsection.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"You know what I want to talk about. Look, I know what you wanted to do on Friday—"

"Excuse you?" AJ said, "I don't think you do. What I wanted to do on Friday was destroy some stuff, I didn't want…you're my friend, E, you know that, and I care about you, but—"

"AJ, you're beautiful, and Dolph never even took notice of that. He never treated you well, you know it was always about him. You know that he was always about him, that's why he wanted you in the first place, he could read your feelings, and he used them, he used the both of us to further his agenda, which was to get the World Title, he could never have gotten that title without us. He never saw you, he probably never even liked you…"

AJ tuned him out, her mind floating away on a cloud of memory.

_AJ's eyes fluttered open and she looked across the bed. She closed her eyes again, trying to beckon sleep to come back to her, not to leave her this soon because it felt too early to be up. But as soon as her eyes closed, they opened again. She startled back a little bit as she caught Dolph watching her. She blinked a couple times before looking at him again._

"_Were you watching me?"_

"_Yeah," he said, giving a slightly nod. "Just looking at you while you slept."_

"_That's weird," she told him, "that's like stalker weird."_

"_I thought it was romantic," he told her, "you're actually really beautiful when you sleep…you're beautiful when you're awake too, don't get me wrong, but you're really, really beautiful when you're asleep."_

"_So…you want me to sleep forever now?" she asked. "Just so you can watch me?"_

"_Now _that_ would be creepy," he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers. "I like waking up to you. I normally hate sharing a bed because a surprising number of women I've been with tend to kick during the night—"_

"_Are you sure they weren't doing it on purpose, you know, trying to kick you out of bed?"_

"_I don't see you wanting to kick me out of bed, and I have never had a single woman want to kick me out of bed, thank you very much. When you've got the total package, women want you to stay."_

"_So basically, you like me because I don't kick you while you're sleeping, nice to know that's a positive for me. I'll put that down on my dating record for the next guy that comes along," AJ teased. Dolph tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her towards him. She made a noise of surprise as she was suddenly half on top of him, looking down at his face._

"_Not going to happen, babe," he told her, shaking his head, the unruly blond hair getting in his eyes. _

"_Not going to happen?"_

"_No, never," he told her. He let go of her hand and reached up to brush the hair away from her face and down her back. He let his fingers linger on her skin, brushing them against her spine, making her entire body tingle with his touch._

"_So you're saying…"_

"_That I love you," he told her, making a goofy face that made her giggle. "Ugh, emotions, am I right?"_

"_Love, yuck!" AJ pretended to spit out the word. "You're…"_

"_Amazing, hot, sexy, magnificent, smart, funny, gorgeous—"_

"_All of that and more," she cut him off with her words and her face. He probably couldn't say anything if he tried. "The only one. You're the only one out of all them, all the rest that loved me back."_

"_Well, I am one of the good ones," he crowed._

"_I think you're _the_ good one_."

She was broken from her daydream when E put his hands on her shoulders. "Do you get what I'm saying, AJ?"

No, she didn't because she wasn't listening to him. She looked up at him, and she could see it, an actual spark of something more than friendship, and she didn't want it. She didn't want to see that light in her eyes. "What were you saying?" she simply asked because she didn't want to think about anything anymore, and she certainly didn't want to think about how Dolph had been such a blatant liar to her. Maybe she was just a good fuck to him, saying pretty words so she'd stay in his bed.

"I'll destroy him for you, tonight, we're going to destroy him."

She knew she should say something, tell him that she was just his friend, that she couldn't be more, didn't want to be more. She knew she should shoot him down right this second, but then her mind returned to that thought. Maybe Dolph used her this entire time. Maybe he said nice things and made her believe them because it was some kind of game to him. Maybe her heart was a plaything, something to be manipulated. He did want her so suddenly and so completely. He could conquest AJ Lee, make her actually think she had it all before watching her crash so hard.

She had no strength to tell E no, had no desire to really. She just wanted Dolph to hurt like she was hurt. She wanted to see the regret in his blue eyes as she made him kneel in front of her. She wanted him to feel her sting. E was the only way to do that properly and thoroughly. So she didn't tell him that they were just friends, she didn't shoot him down because right now she wanted one thing, and that was for Dolph to pay. He was supposed to be the good one.

Now she would show him what she did to the bad ones.


End file.
